India has launched a series of airstrikes on multiple locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, in response to a deadly militant assault last month in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, including a Nepali national.
The operation—codenamed Operation Sindoor—was described by India’s defence ministry as a "measured and focused" effort to hold those behind the 22 April massacre in Pahalgam accountable. The ministry said the targets were “terrorist infrastructure” used to plan and coordinate attacks.
The strikes, which took place early Wednesday, mark a significant escalation in hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, whose ties have been under severe strain since the April attack.
India says nine sites hit; Pakistan says civilians killed
According to Indian authorities, nine sites were hit—spread across Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Pakistan proper. New Delhi emphasised that no Pakistani military installations were targeted, insisting the strikes were “non-escalatory” and carefully calibrated.
Pakistan, however, painted a starkly different picture. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the strikes hit civilian areas in Muzaffarabad, Kotli (both in Pakistan-administered Kashmir), and Bahawalpur in Punjab province. A military spokesperson told the BBC that seven people, including two children, were killed in the attacks. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the action as “unprovoked aggression” and vowed retaliation.
Backdrop: Pahalgam massacre sparks outrage
The strikes follow an ambush on 22 April in the scenic tourist town of Pahalgam, where gunmen opened fire on a group of Indian tourists. Survivors said the attackers appeared to target Hindu men. It was the deadliest attack on civilians in the region in two decades and triggered widespread outrage across India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has built a reputation as a tough nationalist leader, pledged that those behind the killings would be punished “beyond their imagination.” While no group has claimed responsibility, Indian police said two of the attackers were Pakistani nationals. Islamabad has firmly denied any involvement.
In the days following the attack, both countries expelled diplomats, suspended visa services, and shut down several cross-border routes—setting the stage for a military response.
Kashmir: A long-standing flashpoint
Kashmir remains a deeply contested region, claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but controlled in part by each since the partition of British India in 1947. The region has sparked two wars and countless skirmishes.
Militant violence in Indian-administered Kashmir has persisted since 1989, but the Pahalgam killings were the first major civilian attack since India revoked Article 370 in 2019, removing the region’s special status. Since then, militancy had appeared to decline, and tourism had rebounded.
India has previously responded militarily to similar attacks. Following the 2016 Uri assault, it conducted what it called "surgical strikes" across the Line of Control. In 2019, after a suicide bombing in Pulwama killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel, India launched airstrikes in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan—triggering retaliatory attacks and an aerial dogfight.
Though past escalations have not spiralled into full-scale war, the international community remains deeply concerned. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged both sides to exercise "maximum restraint", while US President Donald Trump has expressed hope that tensions will ease soon.
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